MacNeil went to London, where he did more
research on Kershaw, studied his panels at the Victoria & Albert
museum, and got slides of his work. Kershaw is one of MacNeil's
favorite subjects. MacNeil says when he first saw Kershaw's work, he
thought, "Oh, my God." He looked at his won work and said,
"I don't have a clue." He thought he was doing good work
until he saw Kershaw's panels. MacNeil says there were a lot of
grainers and marblers in the 19th century, but Kershaw was the best
and the fastest. Following in Kershaw's footsteps, MacNeil is also
known for his skill and speed.
While in England, Mike came to the
attention of the Worshipful Company of Painters and Stainers in
London, and in 1994 was invited to submit samples of his decorative
painting as a prerequisite for admission to the Company. Mike has
accomplished much in his lifetime, but his is most proud of the semen
panels of wood graining and marbling he painted for the judging. He
says he spent days on each panel. The panels, along with his knowledge
of the trade, were judged by Sir Roger DeGray, president of the Royal Academy
of Fine Arts in London; interior designers; architect; and artists to
determine if his work was good enough to become a freeman. That, he
says, is the highlight of his career because that's as high as you can
go. Mike admits that during the judging he was "totally a nervous
wreck" (even Kershaw would have been nervous!).
While doing the panels, he looked at
pictures of Kershaw's work. Before he went in for the judging, he went
to the Victoria & Albert's Museum in London. Looking at Kershaw's
panels, he asked, "Are you with me on this , buddy?" Then he
went back to the hall where he was being judged. Obviously, Kershaw was
with him, because he was admitted. Had one judge objected to MacNeil's
workmanship or professional presentation, he would have been denied
admittance. Holgate was also admitted as a Freeman. Two of MacNeil's
panels were later placed in an exhibit in London sponsored by Sir
Roger DeGray--along with two panels by Thomas Kershaw.
Although MacNeil did not take a lot of
classes and is mostly self-taught, he say's "It's not natural.
It's something you have to work at." To improve a person's skill
level, he, like Kershaw, advises studying real marble and woods,
nature being the best teacher. "Just practice," he counsels.
"My first marble was the ugliest thing you've ever seen in your
whole life." (Yes, there's hope for beginners--even MacNeil was
one once, although it's hard to believe when you look at his work
today). "Even your mom wouldn't like it," he continues,
"you know what I mean? 'Look, Mom, look what I did.' Even she'd
go, 'Your kidding me. That looks like marble?' "
